


New Normal

by annaxmims



Series: Tumblr Prompts [33]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Autism Spectrum, M/M, Special needs children
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:21:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23891515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annaxmims/pseuds/annaxmims
Summary: Tumblr Prompt:could you do another future fic with a kid? but maybe this time their kid has special needs and tarlos learns how to take care of them?
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Series: Tumblr Prompts [33]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1626286
Comments: 3
Kudos: 161





	New Normal

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I hate the phrases "high functioning" and "low functioning" to describe autistic people. They are used very loosely in this fic. Please do not take offense

The doctor’s words rang in his head the whole drive home. It didn’t help that the car was dead silent.

Autism. His son was autistic.

He really needed Carlos but of course his husband was at work. So he went to the next best thing, his. He parked his suv next to his dad’s truck in the driveway and pulled out his phone to text Carlos.

_ Meet me at my dad’s after work _

_ Okay baby. How did it go with Luke? _

_ I’ll tell you everything when you get here _

TK got out of the car and went around back to pick up a sleeping Luke from his car seat. The younger boy stirred and whined.

“Shh, it’s okay honey. Go back to sleep.”

The little boy rested his head on his shoulder and let himself be carried inside. TK placed him in the play pen Owen had for him in the living room before turning to give his other son a big hug.

“Daddy look what I drew,” Noah thrust a piece of paper at him.

TK took it and studied it carefully. Noah had drawn what seemed to be his best attempt at a fire truck and the people standing on top of it seemed to be modeled after the 126. The man who might have been Judd was comically large while the one who might have been Mateo was very small and a little crooked.

“That’s so good honey. Go hang it on Grandpa’s fridge and you can show Papa when he gets here.”

“We’re staying with Grandpa?”

“For a little while.”

“Yay.”

Noah took off running into the kitchen to find Owen.

“Slow down bubba.”

“Sorry daddy.”

Owen emerged from the kitchen and immediately took his son in his arms.

“You alright?”

“Yeah I’m fine. It’s not that I’m upset that he’s autistic, it’s just I don’t know what to do. I’m not sure I know any actual autistic people in real life. I don’t know what he needs.”

“Your his father TK, you’re always going to know what he needs. What did the doctor say?”

“She said that autism is hard to diagnose because it’s a spectrum. She said based on the signs Luke is showing right now that he’ll probably end up falling in the ‘high functioning’ category. I really hate that term in general, but it’s hard to know because he’s only three. His development is pretty much on track except for the speech thing. Which that was our only concern, but it turns out that he’s shown more signs of autism that Carlos and I didn’t see.”

“You’re not doctors. You’re not supposed to know everything. The important thing is, you expressed your concerns to the doctor, you picked up on something that helped you get answers right?”

“Yeah you’re right.”

Little footsteps interrupted their conversation. Noah had his hands twisted in his shirt and he looked up at TK with big green eyes.

“Are you sad Daddy?”

TK picked him up and Noah tucked his face against his chest.

“Yeah baby Daddy is a little sad.”

“Why?”

“I got some not so great news when I took Luke to the doctor today?”

“Is Luke sick?”

“No baby. At least not like you’re thinking.”

He moved to sit down on the couch, adjusting Noah in his lap.

“Luke has something called autism.”

“What’s that?”

“Well it just means that Luke’s brain is different from ours. He sometimes has trouble talking and telling Daddy and Papa what he wants. And he might not like the same things that other kids like.”

“Is he gonna get better Daddy?”

“No. He’s always going to have it. But he can go to a special doctor who can help him learn to talk, and me and Papa are just going to have to pay close attention and learn to tell what Luke needs.”

“I can help too.”

TK laughed and hugged him close, “Yes you can. You’re such a sweet boy, I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Noah perked up at the sound of Carlos’ car pulling into the driveway.

“Papa!”

He scrambled out of TK’s lap and ran to the door.

“Daddy can I go outside?”

“Yeah honey go.”

Noah opened the door and flung himself at Carlos. Carlos grunted when the little boy’s body collided with his.

“Hey big man. I missed you.”

“I missed you too Papa. Daddy is sad, but I helped him.”

“Why is Daddy sad bubba?”

“Because Luke has, au- autism,” Noah beamed proudly at being able to say the word. “But Daddy says it’s okay because the doctor’s are going to help him talk and we just have to pay attention to him.”

“That’s right kiddo,” TK stood up off the couch and greeted his husband with a kiss, which made Noah wrinkle his nose. “Now you go play for a little bit. I’ll come get you when it’s time to go.”

“Okay.”

Carlos set him down on the ground and Noah wandered off into TK’s old bedroom, which had become his new playroom.

Carlos wrapped an arm around TK and they sat back down on the couch.

“So what happens now?”   


“It’s our new normal, we adjust. Just like we did when we adopted Noah and when we adopted Luke. We figure it out. I’ve got to call and make appointments with the speech therapist and occupational therapist next week.”

Their conversation was interrupted by Luke crying out. Carlos was up immediately, picking him up from the play pen. He settled him against his chest, but Luke did not stop crying. TK suddenly remembered something the doctor said, any change in routine might cause him to be upset. This was a definite change.

“Let me see him.”

TK took Luke in his arms and went into the spare bedroom. He turned off all the lights and sat on the bed, rocking him gently. He hummed the song that was usually played during his nap.

Slowly, Luke began to calm down, sensing that something about their routine was back to normal.

“That’s it honey. It’s alright.”

TK kissed his little head and held him close.

“We’ll get through this.”


End file.
